During the lifetime of a patient, it may be necessary to perform a total shoulder replacement procedure on the patient as a result of, for example, disease or trauma. In a total shoulder replacement procedure, a humeral component having a head portion is utilized to replace the natural head portion of the arm bone or humerus. The humeral component typically has an elongated intramedullary stem which is utilized to secure the humeral component to the patient's humerus. In such a total shoulder replacement procedure, the natural glenoid surface of the scapula is resurfaced or otherwise replaced with a glenoid component which provides a bearing surface for the head portion of the humeral component.
During surgery, first the humeral head is prepared as is known in the art. Then, the surgeon moves to prepare the glenoid. First, it is useful to inspect the posterior aspect of the capsule and glenohumeral space. The surgeon then releases the posterior capsule from the glenoid rim. This step allows for complete removal of the anterior inferior capsule. Any osteophytes are removed and the tissue is then placed back into physiologic tension. The surgeon then needs access to achieve final exposure to the glenoid. However, gaining access to the glenoid during a total shoulder replacement procedure is challenging. Various “shoe-horn” type retractors have been used to gain access to the glenoid. However, these types of retractors need to be held in place by people during the surgery, so they increase the number of people who are required to be involved in the surgical procedure. Also, because of the shape, the retractors may actually limit exposure to the wound site, giving the surgeon less access than may be needed or desired.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved retractor that can expose the glenoid with limited number of people having to hold it.